Over the past couple of months, Connor has gotten quite protective of Mommy. It is bordering on “jealously” at times. Mimi is not allowed to hug Mommy and Daddy most definitely is not allowed to hug or kiss Mommy.
It has gotten to the point that even while we ride in the car, I cannot hold Mommy’s hand like have done for the previous 7+ years. If Connor sees it, he starts to fuss. We’ve agreed not to play into his “jealously” but I had to at least get it on camera one time. So…
We went to the outlet mall in Williamsburg this evening (nice night and no one was there). As we were strolling back from a trip to Harry&David’s (Connor is caring the bag of goodies), Mommy and I were walking arm and arm. Connor pitched a fit and was saying, “Nooo….Nooo…Nooo…” We walked a little further and I tried to hold her hand this time (with the video going). Now, you can see how protective he is and how he tries to tell us that I cannot hold Mommy’s hand. You can also see from this video how much more vocal he is becoming.
About a week ago the grandkids got together at Mimi and Grandpa’s house (with the “older kids”). Connor and Brenna were chasing each other around the house and Gavin was just waiting for his turn to have at the two of them (soon enough my young nephew…soon enough.)
…and surprised Mommy with an early 40th birthday party. Of course, Mommy kept saying she will not be 40 until Dec 23rd (she wants to enjoy her 30’s for a few more days).
Anyways…it took some careful planning, at lot of work on Mimi’s part and some help from Grandpa, Sandy and Phil, and Daddy. I put together the slideshow/video and it made its debut at the party. I think she was embarrassed a little bit (especially on the ballerina pic) — but nothing too bad.
For weeks, Mimi and I have been planning this and trying to keep it a secret. The whole time Mommy was saying she wanted a party and we kept lying to her (everyone is just too busy with Christmas and the holidays). Then I had to pull out all the stops and “invite her” to an office Christmas party at the same location we were having her surprise party. I had one of the guys at work send a fake invitation to our home email address and then I printed it out. Victoria wrote in on the calendar (and that is when I realized she was buying into it).
Showtime…
We pulled up to the our neighborhood clubhouse and 1st thing she notices is that Laura (her friend from down the street) is parked nearby.
She notices a bunch of other cars and says, “That is Laura’s minivan.”
Me: “Is it?”
Victoria: “I think they are having a kid’s party at that house.”
Me: “Probably.”
Then she notices that there are no other cars parked in front of the clubhouse.
Victoria: “Where is everyone?”
Me: “David and Tony are always late for work. Maybe they are running late. Don’t worry about it.”
I “rush” her inside quickly by telling her, “I am freezing…hurry up.”
Then (thanks Uncle Danny for taking the pics)…
She was completely surprised. I got a “slap on the arm” as if to say…”You got me.”
A few minutes later, I got a tearful embrace from her that caused me to cry too. Soon the video was shown and there were a few more tearful eyes.
We all had a great time and I wanted to thank everyone for their help, support, and attending. Victoria truly enjoyed it and was VERY happy!
Whew…Mimi and I are just glad the “secret” was kept a “secret”. Victoria is a tough one to hide things from…she has a ‘sixth sense’.
Check out the gallery for more pics.
Happy Birthday, Mommy!
Love,
Daddy, Mimi, Connor, and everyone else
I got a call from Victoria’s phone the other evening. I answered and said, “Hello.” No response on the other end. I said “Hello” again…and again, no response.
I could hear something going on in the background, so I assumed Connor either dialed me by accident or Mommy had it in her purse and it called me by accident.
One final time before I would hang up…
“Hello”
“Hi” came from the other end. Was that Mommy or Connor? I wasn’t sure.
So I said “Hi” back listening very closely so I could determine who was talking to me.
“Hello” as clear as day came back to me.
Ahh…I knew who that was–my son!
So, returned the “Hello” and Connor responded “Hello”.
That was the first time Connor has talked to anyone on the phone…usually he is quite shy and won’t say anything into the phone.
When I got home about 10 minutes later, I asked him, “Did you talk to Daddy on the phone?” He shook his head and said, “yes”.
10. When Connor wakes up at Nick and Sierra’s house, he calls for “Nick”.
9. Connor cries when Mommy goes to the store and he is left with Daddy.
8. Connor gets more hugs from Mommy than Daddy does.
7. Donnie is now known as “Connor’s Daddy”.
6. When Daddy talks to Grandma…she asks, “How’s my baby?”
5. When Mimi/Grandpa call they ask, “How’s my baby or how’s my boy?”
4. More neighbors know Connor’s name compared to mine (after living here for 7.5 years).
3. People at work ask me, “How’s Connor?” before they even ask me how my weekend was.
2. When Daddy/Connor arrive at Grandma’s house, Grandma quickly gives Daddy a hug and kiss and says “Oh…hi. Let me give you a hug and kiss [quickly] before I get Connor out of the seat.”
drum roll….
and the number one way Daddy knows he is now 2nd rate…
1. When Daddy calls Grandpa to tell him that we (Daddy/Connor) are on their way over (on a rainy night) and Grandpa says, “Call me when you get around the corner so that I can bring an umbrella outside for Connor.”
A side note on #1…Daddy was hoping that Mimi was going to be standing out side with an umbrella for him…but that was not the case.
Enjoy it Connor…it will only last until you have a son or daughter of your own.
…was filled with turkey and a lot of Nick and Sierra. We visited Victoria’s cousin Sandy and her husband Phil (“Uncle Phil”) and their turn children (Nick and Sierra) for their first Thanksgiving in their new home. We had a wonderful time!
Connor got to play with Nick and Sierra and Daddy got to see Uncle Phil’s (now Nick’s) GI Joe collection that included a jeep similar to this:
Daddy was impressed with Uncle Phil’s GI Joe collection. Daddy had the original GI Joe dolls, but does not remember having a jeep (is that right Grandma?). To put that jeep into perspective, Connor was able to sit on it and scoot it around.
Connor also attended his 1st Holiday parade in Reston, VA. He got to see Mighty Mouse, a yellow dinosaur (or maybe that is a giraffe), Mr. and Mrs. Claus, police cars, and fire engines. He had a blast and was a trooper through the cold, wind, and rain (at the end).
We got to watch Mommy ice skate with Aunt Sandy. Boy, that was funny and scary. So much so, that Connor slept right through it all.
Connor’s vocabulary has been increasing. He was saying “Nick” before we even made it to Nick and Sierra’s house on Thursday. By the time we left their house, he had said “RaRa” (short for Sierra — Nick used to call his sister Sierra this when he was Connor’s age). He also was saying “Uncle Phil”. Most of the time it sounded like “apple” but we knew what he was saying because he was pointing in Uncle Phil’s direction. He is also saying “milk” which comes out like “mork” because he is trying to say “more milk”.
This evening, he surprised us by saying book all on his own. It was bath time and we were getting ready to take him upstairs and he remembered he wanted his book…the next thing I notice is he is running to the table and says “book” (very clearly) and then picks it up. That is not one of the words we have been stressing for him to say, so that just goes to show they definitely learn at their own pace.
Connor was sad to go, but one good thing about being home is now we have is undivided attention during meals and can get some food into him. It seems like when we visit family, he is too distracted or wants to go play…so eating takes a backseat. Well, when we got home he ate and ate and ate…you would have thought we didn’t feed him this weekend.
We also found out that Connor loves banana bread. Aunt Sandy made a few loaves of this and Connor ate his fair share of it this weekend.
I’ve learned quite a bit over the past couple of years, but one thing I have learned (or finally can appreciate) is that my brother and I had a great childhood. As I get older and my memory begins to fade, it is hard to recall all the good times we had. Spending time with Connor and showing him how to use the old toys that my Mom has kept for her grandchildren (GI Joe figurines, my old doctor kit, etc..) helps me recall those memories. So Mom, here is a well desired, “Thank you from Connor’s Daddy and Uncle!”
Back to the title…
For many years, my Mom would bake Gingerbread men and me and Uncle Danny would decorate them and then hang them on the Christmas tree. This year was Connor’s first introduction to our tradition. (I can’t recall the last time we did this but hopefully it was sometime prior to us being teenagers.)
But let me tell you…I think I won the price for best decorated gingerbread man this year (Grandma usually won this when we were growing up). Of course, Mommy was trying to beat Daddy, but Daddy was declared the winner (by me of course).
When you look at the pictures…
Notice how Mommy is concentrating on her gingerbread man (or woman) she is making.
Notice how Connor watches what to do and then picks up what he should be doing with the gingerbread men.
Watch how he figures out that stuff he is putting on the gingerbread man is edible and starts to eat the candy instead of decorate the gingerbread man.
